7 charged in kidnapping case

Jessie Pollard awaits competency hearing

UPDATED 1:36 PM CDT Jun 05, 2013

JACKSON, Miss. -

Six of seven people charged in connection with the kidnapping of a 6-year-old Kemper County girl appeared in federal court on Wednesday.

Authorities made four additional arrests in connection with the case this week. Devonta Pollard, 18, Joyce Johnigan, 42, her husband, James Johnigan, 39, and their daughter, Shaquayla Johnigan, 21, are all charged with conspiracy, prosecutors said.

Also in court Wednesday were Wanda Dancy, 52, and Shamarius Ruffin, 25, who are charged with conspiracy to commit kidnapping, court officials said.

Jessie Mae Pollard, 54, was not in court on Wednesday because she is awaiting a competency hearing, court officials said. She is accused of taking Jashayla Hopson across state lines after she was abducted from East Kemper Elementary School.

Prosecutors said Pollard and Ruffin drove to the school in a rented car on April 30. Pollard is accused of calling Dancy, who worked as a secretary at the school, to find out where the girl was and what she was wearing. Ruffin is accused of going into the school's library, telling the librarian "Miss Wanda said it was alright," and walking out with Hopson, according to a news release from the Department of Justice.

Investigators said Ruffin and Pollard, who is the Hopson's mother's cousin, took the girl to Alabama, where they spent the night in a hotel.

Pollard's son, Devonta, is accused of driving to Boligee, Ala., picking up Shaquayla Johnigan and taking her to meet his mother, federal officials said. He then allegedly gave the child to Shaquayla Johnigan, who drove the rental car to Laurel, Miss., where she checked into a hotel room, prosecutors said.

The two women bought a cell phone and sent a text message to the girl's mother saying, "don't call the police I will call you later if you call the police u won't see her again," federal officials said.

Pollard later called Shaquayla Jonigan, investigators said, and told her to text Hopson's mother using a cell phone that was in the car with the message, "since you called police, I want $50,000 by 3 p.m., I will tell you location later."

Investigators said the next day, Shaquayla Johnigan got a call from Devonta Pollard, who said his mother had "gone to take a polygraph." Shaquayla Johnigan called her mother, Joyce, who agreed to meet her in Vossburg, Miss., investigators said. The two women are accused of driving Hopson to Enterprise, Miss., and dropping her off on the side of the road.

Joyce Johnigan drove the car into a ditch, instead of dumping it at the University of Southern Mississippi campus, as Jessie Pollard had told her to, investigators said.

Federal officials said Shaquayla Johnigan gave a black gym bag containing the now broken cell phone to her father, James, and told him to "get rid of it." He is accused of burning the bag, investigators said.

Jessie Pollard was arrested May 1 and charged with kidnapping, authorities said. Ruffin and Dancy were arrested May 3.

Prosecutors believe the kidnapping stemmed from a dispute between Jessie Pollard and the girl's mother.

With the exception of Dancy, all of the defendants are related, authorities said.

Devonta Pollard played basketball for the University of Alabama, but he is no longer enrolled there, authorities said. He is now in the process of enrolling at East Mississippi Community College, authorities said.

The trial set for Aug. 6.

Jashayla Markayia Hopson

Photos

Jashayla Markayia Hopson

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